Published: August 1, 2025
――From a carriage hidden in the shadows a little distance away, I watched their situation.
Lord Cyrus, with his back to the castle gate, was walking toward us. The moment the carriage was knocked on, I opened the door.
“Lord Cyrus! Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine. But honestly, I’m a bit tired.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Please come inside and rest.”
I offered him a handkerchief, but he declined, instead pulling a cloth from his own chest to cover his eyes.
Though it was an autumn night, sweat dripped down him. I felt my heart squeeze tightly for the first time in a while.
“Really, thank you for your hard work… oh, I’m so glad you won…”
Oh no, I started breaking out in a cold sweat myself. My hand gripping the handkerchief trembled and felt cold. Lord Cyrus gently wrapped both his hands around mine.
“Did I make you worry?”
“No, I always believed you’d win. But still, I was scared. What if something happened to you, Lord Cyrus? Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for making you worry. I won’t do anything dangerous again. I know I’m not alone anymore.”
“Lord Cyrus…”
Yes, he has many people he must protect. But to me, he is my one and only husband. And I am his only wife in the world.
I embraced Lord Cyrus, comforting him gently against my chest. He relaxed completely and nuzzled his head against me like a big cat. I find it endearing that he doesn’t shy away or run off in moments like this. At the same time, I feel myself melting into his warmth. We had been tense for a while, moving through underground paths and back alleys. Now, finally able to breathe, we cared for each other.
However,
“…We don’t have much time to relax, do we?”
The passenger sitting diagonally across muttered in a sour tone.
Oh no, I’d forgotten he was there. I pulled away from Lord Cyrus, but he didn’t let go. Holding my waist, he whispered cheerfully.
“Let it go, Baron Chadelan. I’m just relieved to finally be alone with her.”
“We’re not alone, am I not here?”
My father shouted as if throwing a tantrum. He snorted and turned away—my father acting like a sulky child.
“Seriously. You suddenly whisk someone away, change plans to go back to the castle urgently, tell me to wait around, and now you’re waiting to flirt? What kind of nonsense is that?”
“Oh, Baron, I thought you’d be thanking me for getting you out of that dormitory at the academy. Did you actually find it comfortable?”
“Why does it come to that?!”
Ah… really like a child’s quarrel. Though troubled, I found it a bit amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Since sneaking from the underground passage to the Lezamond Memorial Academy and pulling Father out of the dormitory, these two have been like this the whole time. Father gets angry every time Lord Cyrus says something, but he always responds back, so it seems he’s not really beaten down. Outsiders who don’t know anything might even think they have a good father-in-law and son-in-law relationship.
…That’s a relief. When I found out that my parent’s attendance was required to approve our marriage in a foreign country, I was worried. But at this rate, the journey should continue without problems.
“If we’re going, let’s hurry!”
“No need to rush so much. The ocean-going ship won’t depart until we arrive. We won’t be left behind.”
Lord Cyrus said that but poked his head out from the driver’s seat, urging departure.
From now on, we would leave the royal capital and head to an inn along the canal. After resting until dawn, we’d take the carriage aboard a ship and sail down the canal to a port town at the southernmost edge of the kingdom. From there, we planned to board an ocean-going ship.
I had never taken such a long journey before—nor would a baron’s daughter from the countryside ever experience one in her life. Even if there was no need to rush, I was anxious.
Because we were going abroad. And that too with Lord Cyrus, on our wedding day!
I wasn’t free of anxiety and tension, but above all, I felt unstoppable excitement.